Printing-plate-trimming machine



J. SIMPSON. PRINTING PLATE TRIMMING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20, 1919- ,1 394 765 Patented Oct. 25, 1921.

9 SHEETSSHEET I.

J. SIMPSON.

PRINTING PLATE TRIMNUNG MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20, 1919.

1,394,765. Patented Oct. 25, 1921..

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- Momma J. SIMPSON.

PRENTING PLATE TRIMMING MACHINE- APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20. 1919.

Patented Oct. 25, 1921,.

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PRINTING PLATE TRIMMlNG MACHINE. APPLICAT|0N FILED FEB. 20, I919.

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Patented 0013. 25, 1921."

J. SIMPSON.

PRl-NHNG PLATE TRIMMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED'FEB. 20. 1919.

Patented 001:. 25, 1921.

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' Won/1 siren stares JACOB SIMPSON, OF "WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

PRINTING-PLATE-TREMMING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Got. 25, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jnoon SrMrsoN, a citizen or" the United States, residing at Washington, in the District oi Columbia, have invented a new and useful Printing-Plate- Trimming Machine; and l dohereby declare the following to be aiull, clear and exact description of the'invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

chine for trimming the edges of printing plates, eleotrotypes or the like, and has for its object to provide adevice of this character which embodies novel features of con. struction whereby theSeplatescan be'accurately and quicklytrimmedin largequantities, thereby bringing about a large saving.

in both time and labor and enabling the work tobe done at considerably less. expense than is possible with any of the trimming machines which have .heretoforeibeen designed and used for this purpose. 1

Further objects of the: invention ;are to provide a printing plate trimming machine in whichthe plates are accurately positioned with respect to the type matter thereon and subsequently acted upon by adjustably mounted cutters which have an operative oonnectionwith the positioning means so that they are automatically setin'proper relative position by the adjustment of the positioning means to ill) the plate, and to provide a machine whichusimultaneously trims all the edges of tliefplate while it is securely clamped in-position,. thereby insuring accuracy and reducing the. time of finishing a plate.

Still further ob ects ofthe nvention are to provide a machine of this character. 1n

which the movements of the plate through the machine are entirely automatic after it has been initially fed thereto, which holds the plate rigidly clamped in one position during the entire, cutting operation, and thereby avoids the neiessityot shifting the position of the plate with the, resultant pos sibility of slipping and niscutting, and

which provides. for trimming the plates while angular position that the chips from the cutters will'be discharged from the machine by the a tion or gravity and will no clog the machine orinterl-ere with the action of the cutters.

The invention stillfurther aims to provide a power driven trimming machine of thischaracter which is substantially continuous in its operation, which can be operated by a single person, and which is at all times under the perfect control of the operator.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of the parts such as j I will more fully appear as the description The present invention relates to a maproce'ed's, the novel features thereof being pointed out in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention,

reference is to be had to the following de,

scription. and accompanyingdrawings, in wh1ch:.

Figure l is aside elevation of a printing" plate trimming machine constructed in accordance with the invention, a portionof view'through the upper portion ofthe machine, showing the plate clamping means and the cutters for trimming the plates.

Fig. 3 is a rear view, of the printing plate trimming machine, portions being broken away and shown in section.

a Fig. l is a detail view of the toggle action plate clamping means.

5 is a plan view of the cutters and adjusting. and-driving means therefor, all of the'cuttei: support with the exception of one cornerthereof being broken away.

Fig. 6 is a top plane View of the feeding table: and plate centering means, the latter being shown in operative engagement with a plate by full lines, and by dotted lines as retracted into an inoperative position.

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional View through the, table, taken on the line 77 of Fig. 6, and showing the means for actuating one pair or set of the plate centering fingers.

Fig; 8 is'a vertical sectional view through theftable, taken on the line 88 at rightangles to 77 and showing the means for a tuating the other pair or set of plate centering fingers.

Fig. 9 is a transverse vertical sectional view through the table on the line 99 of Fig. '6. showing the operative connection between the mechanism' illustrated by Fig. 8 and the adiusting shaft for a corresponding pai of cutters.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional view nection between the finger proper and the plate or arm carrying the same.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged detail view of a cam member which is arranged upon the table for automatically lifting the end positioning fingers when they are retracted, thereby enabling an untrimmed printing plate to be inserted in position upon the carrier block. This figure is taken upon the line 12-12 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 13 is a diagrammatic view of the cutters "and plate centering or positioning means, showing in a diagrammatic manner the relation between the members whereby the positioning of the cutters is automatically controlledby the movements of the plate positioning fingers as they are brought into engagement with the type matter of the plate.

Fig. 14 is a detail view of the cam means for automatically .lockingthe plate upon the carrier and releasing it therefrom at proper times.

. Fig. 15 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 15-15 of Fig. 14, showing an adjustable stop member which can be moved to prevent the automatic release of the plate when it is desired to bring the plate back into position for inspection after it has been trimmed.-

Fig. 16 is adetail view of the cam mechanism for oscillating the pivoted plate carrier to bring the plates into the 45 plane of the cutters after they have been centered and clamped upon the carrier.

Fig. 17 is. a detail view of the cam means for moving the cutters rectilinearly along the sides of the plate to simultaneously trim all four edgesof the plate while it-is firmly clamped in position upon the carrier.

Figs. 18 and 19 are detail views of the clutch control device for starting and stopping the machine. V

Fig. 20 is a transverse sectional view through the base of the machine, showing the positions of the various cams on the cam shaft.

21. isa detail view showing in a diagrammatic manner the pull wire connection between the foot control pedal and the plate centering elements. V r

Fig. 22 is'an enlarged plan view of the auxiliary trimming tLbl6' Wl1lCh is mounted at the back of the machine and upon which odd sizes of platesare adapted to be trimmed by hand. I 4

Fig. 23, is an enlarged transverse sectional view through the table, taken on the line e a-230i Fig. 22. 7

Corresponding and like parts are referred illustrative purposes has been shown by the accompanying drawings. Specifically describing this particular embodiment of the invention, the reference numerals 1 designate the main side frames upon which the plate trimming mechanism is mounted, said side frames being similar in construction and having a spaced and opposed relation to each other. A feed table 2 which is horizontally disposed and arranged in a position convenient to the operator is provided at the front of the frame. A carrier block 3 is movable through an opening 4 in the feed table, and the printing plate or electrotype A which is to be trimmed is first properly centered or positioned upon the carrier block 3, and then tightly gripped between the carrier block 3 and a clamping block 5, said carrier and clamping blocks being arranged upon a pivotally mounted carrier frame B. (See Fig; 2.) This frame has substantially the form of a split ring, being constructed of'segmental side pieces 6 which have the body portions thereof spaced and provided with radially disposed arms 7 which are pivoted upon stub shafts 8 projecting from the main frames 1 (see Fig. 3), while the .ends of the side pieces 6 terminate respec tively in the opposed and substantially tangentially arranged sleeves 9 and 10.

The carrier block 3 is formed with a downwardly extending plunger 11 which is slidable within the sleeve 9, said plunger being formed in two sections which have a wedge 12 interposed between the same so that the effective length of the plunger can be adjusted by moving the wedge in and out. This wedge is operatively' connected to an adjusting screw 13 which provides a means for moving the wedge in and out and looking it in anadjusted position. A toggle link 14 is interposed between the lower end of the plunger 11 and a laterally recessed toggle shaft 15 which extends transversely through the sleeve 9 (see Fig. .4). With this construction it will be obvious that by rotating this shaft 15 the toggle link 14 can be brought intoalinement with the axis of the sleeve, as indicated by Fig. 2, or permitted to assume an oblique position, as indicated by Fig. 4. In the position shown by Fig. 2 the plunger 11 is moved upwardlyand the carrier block correspondingly moved so that the plate A is securely clamped between the carrier block and the clamping block 5. Y'Vith the position of the toggle link 14 indicated by Fig. 4 the carrier block is permitted to drop away from the clamping block so as to reclamping block. 'nextrotated about its axis to swing the carrier blockand clamped eiectrotype plate A lease the elcctrotype plate A'or permit of the insertion of an untrimmed electrotype plate between the members. The clamping block is shown as carried by the head 16 of a yieldably mounted plunger 17 which extends through the upper sleeve of the carrier frame B. A coil spring 18 surrounds the plunger 17 and is interposed between the head of the plunger and a tubular guide plug 19 which is threaded into the upper end of the sleeve. This coil spring 18 holds the plunger yieldablyin position, and a nut 20 which is threaded upon the upper end of the plunger limits the outward movement of the plunger under the action of the/spring as well as provides a means for adjusting the plunger.

After a printing plate or electrotype A has been centered upon the carrier block 3 by means of mechanism to be hereinafter described the toggle shaft 15 is rocked to bring the toggle link 14 into a vertical position, as indicated by Fig. 2, whereupon the carrier block is raised and the plate securely clamped between the carrier block and the The carrier frame upwardly into the plane of the cutters.

ln-the present instance the cutting mechanism as shown more clearly by Fig. 2, is arranged in a plane at 15" to the horizontal, this being desirable for the reason that the cuttings will drop away from the plates by the action of gravity and will not clog the cutters. I A further 'aovantage of this angular. position of thecutters is that after Cir the plates have been trimmed they can be released and. permitted to drop by gravity into suitable receiving pockets provided upon a carrier which is driven in synchronism with the rest of the machine. There are four rotary cutters 21 which are arranged to trim the four edges of a rectangular plate at thesame time, thereby avoiding the possibility of slipping or error which is incident to the useof a trimming machine in which the plate must be unclampcd from one position and reclamped in another position between successive trimming operations upon dilferent edges thereof. The cutters 21 are rigidly appliedto the inner ends of cutter shafts 22 which are jo'urnaled upon carriages 23 said carriages being slidablv mounted upon the lower faces of lides 2a and arranged to move in a CllIGCtlOIl parallel to the ants of the-respective cutter shafts. The cutters 21 of each opposed pair oi cutters can thus be moved toward-and away from each otherand adjusted for operation upon a smaller or a larger plate, as may be desired. The slides 24s are pr'vided upon their upper faces with dove-tail ton i' are slidably received. within correonding guideways or grooves 28 formed in the lower face ofthe inclined cutter supporting plate 27. These guide grooves 26 are arranged in two parallel pairs which intersect at the corners of a rectangular figure, thereby enabling the slides 241 to be simultaneously moved rectilinearly along the four sides of a rectangular figure.

The slides 2 1 are each transversely recessed to receive a cutter drive shaft 28 which is geared by 45 worm threads 28 with corresponding threads 22 on the respective cutter shafts 22. The worm threads 28 extend substantially throughout the entire length of the drive shafts 28 so that the shafts 28 and 22 will remain in mesh with each other throughout the entire path of travel of the slides 24-. These cutter drive shafts 28 are positioned at the four sides of the cutting mechanism and are all intergeared by th'e'bevel gearing '29. One of the shafts 28 is extended and connected by bevel gearing 30 to a rearwardly extending horizontal drive shaft 31. Said shaft 31 is shown having a belt and pulley connection 32 with the main drive shaft 33 so that it is always rotating. Rotary motion is thus transmitted at all timesto the rotary cutters 21,'so that the latter are continuously driven when the machine is in operation.

The outer end of each of the carriages 23 is provided with a rack 34 which meshes with a long pinion 35. These pinions 35 extend transversely through suitable guide opening formed in the slides24l and the teeth ofthe pinions are sufficiently long to remain in mesh with the racks 34. throughout the entire limit of the movements of the slides These pinions 35 provide a means for moving the carriages 23 in and out to adjust the cutters 21 toward and away from each other thereby properly positioning the cutters to operate upon a large or a small size of plate as may be desired. In this connection it will be noted that the worm threads 22? on thecutter shafts 23 are sufiiciently long to remain in mesh with the worm threads 28 of the worm shafts 28 throughout the in and out adjustment of the cutters. These long pinions 35 and cutter drive shafts 28 are suitably journaled in bearings (not shown) projecting from the cutter supporting plate 27, and it w ll be obvious that the four cutters are continuouslydriven from the short drive shaft 31', and that by manipulatin the long pinions by mechanism to be hereinafter described, the cutters can be moved in and out and adjusted for proper operation upon the particular plate or plates to be trimmed.

Each of the cutter carrying slides 24 is provided upon the inner edge thereof with a raclr bar 36, said rack bars meshing with teeth 37 upon a ring or annulus 38 mounted upon a nek 39 which surrounds a central opening 40 in the inclined cutter supporting plate 27. A circular plate 41 which is detachably secured to the lower end of the neck 39 retains the ring 38 in position upon the neck. The upper portion of the carrier frame B extends through the central opening 40 of the cutter supporting plate 27 and said opening provides a sufiicient amount of clearance space so that there is nothing to interfere with the os illation of the carrier frame as it is rotated to swing the carrier block 3 up and down.

The upper face of the ring or annulus 38 is provided with bevel teeth 42 which mesh with a bevel gear 43, said gear projecting' through an opening 44 in the inclined cutter supporting plate 27, and being rigid with a short horizontal shaft 45 which is journaled within bearings 46 at the top of the machine. The outer end of the shaft 45 i provided with a pinion 47. which meshes with a rack 48 at the upper end of a cam actuated rod 49, a guide 50 being provided to hold the rack in operative engagement with the pinion at all times (see Fig. 1). The four cutters 21 are initially located at what would be the respective corners of the rectangular plate to be trimmed. Upon either the upward or clownward movement of the cam a tuated rod 49 the rack 48 rotates the pinion 47 and.

bevel gear 43, thereby turning the ring 38 on the neck 39 and operating through the rack bar 36 to move the slides 24 rectilinearly. The'cutters thus have a progressive movement along the four sides of the plate from one corner to the adjacent corner, and each cutter thus completely trims one edge of the plate. It will also be obvious that owing to this progressive movement of the cutters they do not conflict with each other at the corners of the plate, and a clear cut trimming action is obtained around the entire periphery of the plate. Upon the upward movement of the cam actuated rod 49 the slide 24 are moved to shift the cutters rectilinearlyalong the periphery of the plate. in one direction. this direction of movement being reversed for the next plate to be trimmed upon the downward movement of the cam actuated rod 49.

After the plate has thus been trimmed it is released by a movement of the toggle clamping means, and slides by gravity down an inclined chute 51 which is arranged'immediately under the cutters. The lower part of the chute is formed by longitudinal wires or rods '52 and the cutting or shavings fall through these wires (see Figs. 2 and 3) into a suitable receptacle, not shown. provided to receive the same, while the trimmed plates slide down the wires 52 and are deposited into the pockets 53 of an endless carrier 54 which is arranged at the back of the machine. The receiving carrier 54 extends around drums 55, only one of which is shown. This drum is provided with a ratchet wheel 56 which is engaged by a pawl 57 upon a plate 58 loose upon the shaft of the drum. A link 59' loosely connects the plate 58 to the carrier frame B so that as the carrier frame is oscillated back and forth upon its axis, a step by stepmovement is imparted to the receiving carrier 54 through the action of the pawl and ratchet mechanism. The pockets 53 of the receiving carrier are thus brought successively into position to receive the trimmed printing or electrotype plates A as they are discharged from the carrier. The metal. chips or shavings dropping from the cutter fall through the wires 52, as previously explained, and aredirected by a spoutv 60 (see Figs. 1 and 2) into a suitable receptacle provided for that purpose. A very great advantage incident to locating the cutting mechanism in a 45 plane is that the cuttings fall away from the cutters by the action of gravity and are thereby prevented from clogging the cutters and interfering with the proper action thereof.

Extending horizontally under the feed table 2 and arranged on opposite sides of the opening 4 therein is a pair of adjusting shafts 61 and 62; These shafts have a parallel relation to each other and are provided at their outer ends with hand wheels 63. The adjusting shaft 61 has an operative connection with the upper and lowercutters 21 for the purpose of simultaneously moving the said cutters toward and away from each other.

shown as provided with a worm 64 which meshes with a worm wheel 65 on the shaft of the lower one of the transversely disposed long pinions 35 (seeFigs. 2and 13). It will thus be obvious that'by rotating the shaft 61 the lower pinion 35 can be rotated to move the lower cutter 21 in and out. A corresponding motion is imparted to the upper cutter 21 by means of a rack bar 66 which is provided at its respective ends with upwardly .and downwardly facing rack teeth 66 meshing with pinions 67 on the shafts of the upper and lower-long pinions 35. The upper and lower long pinions 35 are thus operatively connected so as to be rotated a'corresponding amount in a reverse direction upon any movement of the adjusting shaft 61. The upper and lower cutters 21 can thus be moved toward and away from each other and properly adjusted to trim the The inner end of the said shaft 61 edges of the electrotype plate A when the with pinions 71 which engage rack teeth 72 at the lower end of a pair of rack bars 72. These rack bars are inclined upwardly and provided at their upper ends with rack teeth 72 facing in directions at right angles to the teeth 72 These upper sets of teeth 72 on the rack bars 72 face in opposite directions and mesh with ,pinions 7.3 on the shafts of the inclined long pinions 35 at the sides of the machine. These side pinions 35 are thus geared together to vbe rotated a corresponding amount in reverse directions upon rotation of the adjusting shaft 62. The two side cutters 21 can thus "be moved toward and away from each other and properly adjusted to act upon the particular plate or plates to be trimmed. The rack bars 72 maybe held in operative engagement with therespective ipinions byidlers 74 which engage the backs of the rack bars at points adjacent to the ,pinions.

At the end of each cycle of operation and preparatory to the'beginning of a new cycle of operation the carrier frame B is rotated to swing vthe carrier block ,3 downwardly into the central opening 4: ,ofgthe feed table 2. 'A new printing or 'electrotype plate A which it is desired to trim is then placed upon the carrier block 3 and properly centered thereon by means of the-two sets of positioning fingers 75, 75 and 7 6, '76, respectively (see Figs. .6 to18 inclusive). The opposed positioning fingers 76 are mounted at their ends betweenarms 77 which extend upwardly through transverse slots 78 in the feed table. The corresponding arms 77 at opopsite sides of the opening in the feed table are carried by corresponding slides 79 and 80 which are engaged under the feed table. One pair of these slides V179 and 80 is provided at each side of the opening in the feed table, and the slides of each pair have a superposed relation, being mounted within suitable guides 81 so that theyare free to slide back and forth-longitudinally (seerFig. 8). At one end the slides 79 and 80 are provided with opposed racks 82. the two sets of racks being engaged by pinions 83 on a shaft 84 which extendstransversely of the slides and is journaled within suitable bearings 85. The right hand end .of this shaft 84.- is provided with a pinion 86 which meshes with the teeth 87 of a rack 88, said rack bar being arranged over :the adjusting shaft 61 and in parallel relation thereto. The rack bar is directed inits sliding movements by a guide 89, and one end thereof has ay'ielding connection with a block 90 threaded upon the adjustingshafttl. The adjusting shaft :61 is held against longitudinal movement, as by means of flanges .91 thereon which engage opposite sides of the member 89, and it will be obvious that as the adjusting shaft is rotated the block .90

il e acte as? thee-9 this aeria ename s t i i will result in a longitudinal movement of the rack bar 88, which will in turn rotate the shaft84 and move the slides 79 and 80 to adjust the fingers 76 toward and away from each other. In adjusting the device the printing or electrotype, plate A is placed upon the carrier block 3 and the adjusting shaft 61 rotated to bring the positioning fingers 76 into engagement with the type matter on the plate. The relation of the parts-is such that the upper and lower cuttcrs'21 are movedtoward and away from each other simultaneously'and in synchronism with the positioning fingers 76. lVhen these positioning fingers 76 are brought into engagement with the type face of the print ing plate by manipulating the adjusting shaft 61 the upper and lower cutters 21 are simultaneously brought 7 into exactly the proper position for trimming the corresponding edges of the plate when it is swung upwardly into position to be acted upon by the cutters.

"Th other pair of positioning fingers 75 are carried by arms 92 which are hingedly connected at their ends, as indicated at 93, to slides 94' arranged within longitudinal guideways 95 formed in the inner edge of the feed table 2. These upper slides 94 are connected ,by' stems 96 to upper and lower longitudinally extending "slides 97 and 98, respectively. Theseslides '97 and 98 operate within a suitable guide 99 and are provided with opposed sets of rack teeth'lOO which mesh with an interposedpinion 101, thereby providing for a corresponding movement in reverse directions of the upper and lower slides. The lower slide 98 is provided at one endthereof with an extension 98 having a nose 102 at the end thereof, a coil spring 103 being interposed between said nose and a guidememb'er 104. A cam plate 105 is arranged upon the rack'bar 7 2 at the left hand sideof the deviceand the inclined edge of this cam plate extends into the path of the nose 102. It will be remembered that the two rack bars 7 2are moved up and down by the rotation of the other adjusting shaft 62 toposition the side cutters 21. In adjusting the device the fingers '4' 5 are brought into engagement with the type matter of the electrotype plate, and the nose 102 of the lower slide 98 thereby caused to assume a definite position. The other adjusting shaft 62 is then manipulated until the ra k bars 72 are brought into such a position that the inclined face of the cam plate 105 engages the nose 102. The relation between the members is such that the side cutters 21 are then accurately positioned to trim the sides of the electrotype plate when vthe latter is swung upwardly into position for cutting.

@The positioning fingers"? 5 are shown as having a'hingeconne tion 106 (see Figs. 10

mounted upon the ends of the arms 92. The hinge connections 106 can be tightened by screws 108 so that the positioning fingers are held in an adjusted position,,although it will be obvious that they can be moved up and down to accommodate different thicknesses of plates. The plates 107 to which the fingers are thus connected extend transversely with respect to the arms 92 and have a sliding engagement with the top thereof. Clampmg screws 109 extend through slots 110 in the plates and are threaded in the arms 92, said screws providing a means for locking the plates in an ad usted position. The outer ends of the plates are flanged and provided with adjusting screws 111 which have a threaded engagement with the arms 92 and provide a means for moving the plates in and out to adjust the positioning fingers when the clamping screws 109 are loosened. This manner of mounting the positioning fingers 75 provides for adjusting the position thereof upon the arms by which they are carried.

A pull cable 112 is provided for retracting thepositioning fingers 75 and 7 6 and withdrawing the same from the opening 4 in the feed table after the plate has been properly centered upon th carrier block, and preparatory to moving the carrier block through the opening to bring the plate into the plane of the cutters. The pull cable 112 passes around a number of suitable guide pulleys 113, and has the lower end thereof attached to a foot control pedal 114:, while the-upper end thereof terminates in two branches 112 and 112". These branches are carried around pulleys 115 arranged under the feed table 2 and extend in directions at right angles to ea h other, the branch 112 being connected to the lower slide 98 of the two slides 97 and 98 which control the movements of the plate positioning fingers 75, while the bran'h 112 is connected to the m k bar 88 whichis mounted to be moved longitudinally by rotation of the adjusting shaft 61 (see Fig. 21). This rack bar 88 is slidable through the nut or block 90, being provided with set collars 116 to limit the movements thereof. A spring 117 surrounds the rack bar 88 and is interposed between the nut 90 and one of the collars 116 (see Fig. 9). When there is no tension in the pull wire or cable 112 the rack bar 88 is movable with the nut or block 90 and operates as previously described to adjust the positioning of the plate centering fingers 76 as the shaft 61 is rotated. However, the rack bar 88 can be moved longif tudinally against the action of the spring 117 when a sufficiently strong pull is exerted thereon through the branch cable 112 It will thus be obvious that when the foot control pedal 114 is moved downwardly the two sets of plate positioning fingers 75 and 76 will be retracted into inoperative position and withdrawn from the opening 2 in the feed table. When the positioning fingers are retracted the arms 92 which support the same ride upon cam lugs 118 (see Figs. 6 and 12) and are thereby swung upwardly into the dotted line position indicated by Fig. 8. This enables a fresh electrotype plate to be readily inserted in position upon the carrier block. j

The foot control pedal is slid-able upon the lower end of a clutch control lever 119, having pin and slot connection 120 therewith. The clutch control lever 119 is rigid with a sleeve 121 (see Fig. 19) which is journaled upon a stub shaft 122 projecting from one of the main side frames 1, said sleeve being provided with a segmental plate 123 and alsowith an arm 12 1 terminating in a roller 125 which engages the periphery of a cam disk-126. A clutch shifting lever 127 is pivotally mounted upon the sleeve 121 and formedwith a locking arm 128 which is hooked around the edge of the segmental plate 123a-nd provided with a spring actuated plunger 129 adapted to enter either one of a pair of openings 130. in the segmental plate 123. In the normal operation of the machine the plunger 129 engages one of the openings 130 and thereby locks the clutch shifting lever 127 with the sleeve 121 and control lever 119, so that the opening of the clutch is automatically controlled by the cooperation between the roller 125 of the arm 12 1 and the cam disk 126. However, if it should be desiredto open the clutch and stop the machine independently a of the cam action, andat any intermediate time in cycle of operation, this can be accomplished byfretracting the plunger 129 to release the locking arm 1 28 and then moving the clutch shifting lever 127 independently of the other parts of the mechanism.

The clutch shifting lever 127 engages a clutch 131 1 (see 1 and 18) which is slidable upon'the main drive shaft 33 and movable into and out of engagement with a worm 132 which is loose upon the shaft. This worm 132 meshes with a worm gear 133 which is rigid upon a transversely extending cam shaft 134, said. shaft being j ournaled within suitable bearings provided in the main side frames 1. The before men tioned camdisk 126 is rigid upon this cam shaft 131, as are alsothe three cams, .135, 136,, and 137. The cam 135 controls the locking .andLunlocking of the plate on the carrier block. The cam 136 controls the swinging of the carrier frame B to raise and lower the carrier block. The cam 137 has an operative connection with the before mentioned cam actuated rod 49 which controls the rectilinear movements of the cutters 21. I The cam 135 which controls the locking and releasing'of the printing or electrotype plate upon the carrier (see Fig. 14) is formed with a cam groove having two. diametrically opposed low portions 138, and two diametrically opposed high portions 138 the adjacent ends of the high and low portions of the cam groove being connected by inclined portions 138. An upright cam rod 139 which has the lower end thereof slotted at 140 to receive the cam shaft 134 is provided with aoroller 141 which rides within the groove of the cam 135. The upper end'of this cam rod 139 is pivotally connected at 142 toa plate 143 which is loose upon one of the stub shafts 8 upon which the carrier frame B is journaled. A lever 144 is also loose upon the stub shaft, the upper end of thelever being received between a pair of stops 145 and 1.46 on the plate 143, while the lower end of the lever is connected by a link 147 to a crank arm 148 onthe before mentioned toggle shaft 15 which controls the toggle link 14 of the locking mechanism (see Fig. 4). The link i 147 is curved so as to clear the opening in the feed table when the carrier frame is swung upwardly.

The position of the parts at the beginning of a cycle of operation is indicated on Fig. 14. The roller 141 is at the end of one of the raised portions 138 of the cam groove, and upon the initial movement of the cam 135 in the direction of the arrow, theroller 141 is caused to travel down one of the inclined portions 138 of the cam groove into a low portion 130 of the cam groove. This results in swinging the plate 143, whereupon the lever 144 is moved by engagement of the upper end thereof with thestop 145. This operates through the link 147 and arm 148 to rota-tethe toggle shaft 15 and swing the toggle link 14 into a vertical position,

' other raised portion 138 of the cam groove,

thereby moving the carrier block upwardly to clamp theprinting or electrotype plate firmly in position between the said carrier block and the clamping block 5. The plate remains clamped upon the carrier block while the carrier frame is rotated to swing the carrier block and plate upwardly into the 45 plane of the cutters, and the two stops 145 and 146 of the plate 143 are spaced 45 apart so that when the carrierblook 3 is in a raised position the upper end of the lever 144 is moved over against the stop member 146, as indicated by dotted lines on Fig. 14. At thecompletion of the cutting operation the roller 141 is brought intothe thereby moving the cam rod 139 upwardly and swinging the plate 143 backto its Original position; This movement of the plate operates through the stop 146 to swing the lever 144 in the necessary manner to rock'the toggle shaft'151and release the plate. The plate belngreleased in the 45 plane dropsby gravity down the chute 5 nd slides along the wires 52 into one o the pockets 53 of the receiving carrier 5 (see Figs. 1 and 3).

The stop lug 146 is adjustable, being carried by an arm 149 which is pivoted upon the stub shaftS (see Fig. 15). A spring so tuated locking plunger 150 is mounted upon the stop 146 and adapted to enter either one of a pair of openings 151 in the plate 143. When the stop 146 is in the position indicated by F ig. 14, the printing or electrotype plate will be released by the action of the cam plate 135 at the completion of the trimming operation. However, when trimming the first plate of a series of plates, it may be desired to have the plate return to the feed table for inspection instead of be ing released and permitted to slide into a pocket of the receiving carrier 54. lVhen this is desired the spring plunger 150 is withdrawn and the arm 149 swung away from the stop lug 145 to permit the spring plunger to enter the other opening 151. The stop 146 is thus moved away from the lever 144 so that the movement of the plate 143 by the cam 135 at the end of the trimming operation will not result in swinging the lever 144 to release the electrotype plate. The trimmed electrotype plate will then be returned to the 'nected by inclined portions 152 (see Fig.

16). An upwardly extending cam rod 153 has thelower end thereof slotted at 154 to receive the'cam shaft 134, while the upper end thereof i pivot-ally connected at 155 to a shortarm 156 projecting from the carrier frame A roller 157 on the cam rod travels in the groove ofthe cam wheel, and the initial position of the parts is indicated by Fig. 16. Upon the initial movement of the cam shaft 134 the roller 157 travels in one of the low portions 152* of the cam groove, thereby holding the carrier blockin a lowered position until the cam shall have acted, as previously described, to clamp the plate in position upon the carrier. The roller 157 then rides in one of the inclined portions 152 of the cam groove which operates to rotate the carrier frame B- and swing the carrier block upwardly into the 45 planeof the cutters. as indicated by dotted line on Fig. 16. The cam roller 157 then rides in one of the raised portions 152 of the cam groove and locks the carrier block in a raisedposition until after the cutters have completed the trimming operation and scribed. The roller 157 then rides down the inclined portion 152 of the cam groove and rotates the carrier frame to bring the carrier block back to its original position. This completes one cycle of operation, and the parts are again in their original position and ready to receive another electrotype plate.

. The cam wheel 13'? which controls the rectilinear movement of the cutters is formed with a groove having a low portion 158 and araised portion 158, the adjacent ends of the low and raised portions of the cam groove being connnected by inclined portions 158. The before mentioned cam rod 49 is slotted at its lower end at 49 to receive the cam shaft 134, and is provided with a roller 159 which operates within the groove of the cam wheel. The position of the parts at the beginning of a cycle is indicated by Fig. 17. When the machine is started into operation the roller 159 travels either in the low portion 158 or the raised portion 158 of the cam groove, and there is no up and down movement of the cam rod 49 until the roller 159 is brought into engagement with one of the inclined portions 158 of the cam groove. This happens after the carrier B has been rotated to swing the plate upwardly into the plane of the cutters, and the vertical movement of the cam rod 49 then operates, as has been previously explained, to move the cutters rectilinearly so that all four edges of the plate are simultaneously.

trimmed while it is securely clamped in position upon the carrier.

The cam disk 126 which controls the clutch 131 (see Fig. 18) is also rigid upon the cam shaft 134, being provided at diametrically opposite points with notched seats 160 which the roller 125 enterswhen the clutch is in an open position and the machine is not in operation. A spring actuated plunger 161 engages the arm 124 and normally holds the roller 125 in a yielding contact with the periphery of the cam disk 126. The main drive shaft 33 is connected to a suitable source of power and continuously rotated, motion being transmitted from this shaft through the belt and pulley connection 32 (see Fig. 3) to the upper shaft 31 from which the four cutters 21 are continuously driven.

At the beginning of a cycle of operation the roller 125 of the arm 124 (see Fig. 18) is seated in one of the notches 160 of the camdisk 126 with the clutch 131 in an open position. The operator presses downwardly upon the foot pedal 114 which hi s a pin and slot connection 120 with the clutch control lever 119, and thereby pulls upon the cable 112 with the result that the plate positioning fingers 75 and 76 are retracted into an inoperative position, the fingers 75 being simultaneously swung upwardly above the surface of the feed table 2 by the action of .the cam lugs 118. This enables the operator to place an untrimmed electrotype plate upon the carrier block 3, whereupon the foot control pedal 114 is released and the positioning fingers 7 5 and 7 6 permitted to engage the edge of the type matter on the plate. Assuming that there are a number of plates of the'same size to be trimmed, and that the cutters and positioning fingers have been previously adjusted by means of the adjusting shafts 61 and 62, as previously described, it will be apparent that when the positionin fingers are released they will operate automatically to center the electrotype plate upon the carrier block in exactly the proper position. The operator then again presses the foot pedal 114 downwardly to retract the positioning fingers 75 and 76 from the opening 4 in the feed table, and presses forwardly upon the pedal, thereby moving a shoulder 163 on the pedal under an arm 164. The pedal 114 is thereby locked in a lowered position with the'positioningfingers 75 and 76 withdrawn from the opening in the feed table, and the clutch saifting lever 127 moved to close the clutch 131. l the same time, the roller 125 is lifted out of the notch 160 and caused to ride upon the periphery of the cam dislr126 as the cam shaft 134 with all of the cams thereon starts to rotate, owing to the closing of the clutch and the locking of the worm 132 with the main drive shaft.

lVith the cam arrangement which has been shown and described, a one-half revolution oi. the cam shaft is required for each cycle of operation. The cams are arranged in such a relation to each other that the antial movement of the cam shaft 134 causes the cam wheel 135 to locl: the plate in position upon the carrier, whereupon the cam 136 comes into action and swings the carrier block upwardly into the 45: plane of the cutters. .The'cam 137 then conies'into action and moves the cutters rectilinear-1y to trim the plate, after which the plate is released by a further action of the cam wheel 135 and the carrier block lowered toits original position by a subsequent action of the cam wheel 136. This is all accomplii-ihe-tl by a one-half revolution of the cam shaft 134, and the roller 125 of the clutch control device then drops into the other notch 160 of the cam disk 126,- the two notches 161') being positioned 180 apart. As soon as the roller 125 drops into the notch 160 the clutch 31 is opened and the machine automatically stopped withthe parts returned sary to readjust the cutters and positioning fingers when there is a change in the size of the plates to be trimmed.

An attachment for trimming by hand odd plates or plates of a larger size than are adapted to pass through the machine is arranged at the back of the device, the short horizontal shaft 31 is provided at the rear end thereof with a cutter 165 which overhangs the inner edge of a horizontal shelf 166. This shelf is provided with a pair of transversely extending dove-tail grooves 167 and has a slide 168 mounted thereon, said slide being provided with dove-tail tongues 169 which are received within the grooves 167. A handle 170 at one end of the slide provides a means for manually moving the slide back and forth in a direction parallel to the face of the cutter in order to trim the edge of a plate A which may be clamped upon the slide. A clamping bar 171 extends across the top of the plate A and has the ends thereof secured to the slide by suitable clamping screws 172. Stop fingers 173 are adjustably mounted upon the clamping bar 171, having a pin and slot connection therewith, and being adapted to be locked in an adjusted position by means of the screws 174. The ends of the stop fingers 17 3 are" bent downwardly at 173 and adapted to engage the type face of the plate to be trimmed, thereby holding the inner edge of the plate in proper position for trimming by the cutter 165 when the slide 168 with the plate clamped in position thereon is moved transversely across the table or shelf 166. The ends of the plate A are engaged by positioning fingers 175 which are clamped by means of screws 176 to slides 177 mounted in a dove-tail groove 178 in the slide 168. These positioning fingers 175 engage the type face of the plate and cooperate with the clamping bar 171 and stop fingers 178 to hold the plate rigidly in position upon the main slide during the trimming operation.

The portion 51 of the chute 51 which is located adjacent to the position of the carrier block when the latter is raised is hingedly mounted, as indicated at 180 see Fig. 2). This hinge 180 has a spring actlon which normally holds the chute section 51 yieldably in alinement with the bottom of the chute. However, if it should happen that a plate upon being released does not slide freely down the chute, but stops after partially leaving the carrier block, the hinged portion 51 of the chute will yield and swing downwardly upon the lowering of the carrier block, thereby preventing breakage of the parts and perhaps serious damage to the mechanism of the machine.

While I have illustrated and described a single form of machine constituting a concrete embodiment of this invention, I am aware that the principle thereof can be carried out in many other forms without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims, and the device can be used for trimming any kind of plates such as printing plates or electrotypes. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the particular mechanism shown and described, since there are many features of the invention which are believed to be broadly new.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A machine for trimming plates, including a carrier, means for centering a plate upon the carrier at one position of the carrier, and cutters for trimming the plate at another position of the carrier, said cutters being adjustably mounted and being operatively connected with the centering means so as to be automatically positioned in the proper manner for cutting when the plate is centered upon the carrier.

2. A machine for trimming plates, including a carrier, means arranged in one plane for centering a plate upon the carrier, means for clamping the plate upon the carrier after it has been centered thereon, and cutters arranged in another plane for trimming the plate at another position of the carrier.

3. A machine for trimming plates, including a carrier, means for centering a plate upon the carrier at one position of the carrier, means for clamping the plate upon the carrier, and cutters arranged in an inclined plane to trim the plate at another position of the carrier, the inclination of the cutters causing the cuttings to be discharged by gravity.

4. A machine for trimming plates, includ ing a carrier, means for centering a plate upon the carrier 'at one position thereof, means for clamping the plate upon the carrier, cutters arranged in an inclined plane to act upon the plate at another position of the carrier, means for releasing the plate after being acted upon by the cutters, and gravity discharge means for the released plate.

5. A machine for trimming plates, including a carrier, plate positioning elements for centering a plate upon the carrier in one position thereof, means for retracting the plate positioning elements, means for clamping the plate upon the carrier, and cutters for trimming the plate at another position of the carrier.

6. A machine for trimming plates, including a carrier, positioning means for centering a plate upon the carrier at one position thereof, adjustably mounted cutters for trimming the plate at another position of the carrier, and means for obtaining a corresponding adjustment of the cutters and fingers.

7 A machine for trimming plates, including a carrier, adjustable positioning elements for centering a plate upon the carrier at one position thereof, means for clamping the plate upon the carrier, adjustable cutters arranged to act upon the plate at another position of the carrier, means for obtaining a corresponding adjustment of the positioning members and cutters, and means for moving the cutters rectilinearly along edge portions of the plate.

8. A machine for trimming plates, including a carrier, a set of opposed positioning members for centering a plate upon the carrier at one position thereof, means for clamping the plate upon the carrier, a corresponding set of opposed cutters arranged to act upon the plate at another position of the carrier, means for simultaneously and correspondingly adjusting the positioning means and cutters, and means for moving the cutters along edge portions of the plate. 9. A machine for trimming plates, including a carrier, a pair of opposed positioning elements for centering a plate upon the carrier, means for retracting the positioning elements into inoperative position, means for clamping the plate upon the carrier, a pair of opposed cutters arranged to act upon the plate at another position of the carrier and movable toward and away from each other, means controlled by the position of the positioning elements for correspondingly adjusting the cutters, and means for moving the cutters along edge portions of the plate.

10. A machine for trimming plates, including a carrier, a set of opposed positioning elements movable toward and away from each other and serving to center a plate upon the carrier at one position thereof, means for retracting the positioning elements,

means for clamping the plate in position upon the carrier, a pair of opposed cutters movable toward and away from each other and arranged in an inclined plane to act upon the plate at another position of the carrier, means controlled by the position of the positioning elements for obtaining a corresponding adjustment of the cutters, means for moving the cutters along edge portions of the plate, means for releasing the trimmed plate while in an inclined position, and a chute discharging the released plate from the machine by the action of gravity.

11. A machine for trimming plates, including a carrier, a set of opposed positioning elements movable toward and away from each other and engaging the plate to center it upon the carrier at one position thereof, a pair of opposed cutters adjustable toward and away from each other and arranged to act upon the plate at another position of the carrier, and an operative connection between the positioning elements and the cutters for automatically adjusting the cutters when the positioning elements are brought into engagement with the plate.

12. A machine for trimming plates, including a carrier, a set of opposed positioning elements movable toward andaway from each other and serving to center the plate upon the carrier at one position thereof, a set of opposed cutters adjustable toward and away from each other and arranged to act upon the plate at another position of the carrier, and a manually operable adjusting member having an operative connection with both the cutters. and positioning elements for adjusting the cutters according to the position of the positioning elements when the latter are in engagement with the plate.

13. A machine for trimming plates, including a cutter support, opposed slides movable upon the cutter support in substantially parallel lines, transversely movable carriages mounted upon the slides, cutters" carried by the carriages, a carrier for moving the plate to the cutters, means for positioning the plate on the carrier, means controlled by the positioning means for moving the carriages to obtain a corresponding adjustment of the cutters, and means for operating the slides to move the cutters along edge portions of the plate.

14. A machine for trimming plates, including a cutter support, opposed slides movable thereon along substantially parallel lines, transversely movable carriages mounted upon the slides, cutter shafts journaled upon the carriages, cutters upon the shafts, means for moving the carriages toward and away from each other to adjust the position of the cutters, a carriage for moving the plate to the cutters, means for operating the slides to move the cutters along edge portions of the plate, and cutter drive shafts extending substantially parallel to the path of the slides and connected to the cutter shafts by gearing which maintains a driving connection between the shafts throughout the limits of movement of the carriages and slides.

15. A machine for trimming plates, including a cutter support, opposed slides movable thereon along substantially parallel lines, carriages mounted upon the slides and adjustable transversely thereof, cutter shafts journaled upon the carriages, cutters upon the cutter shafts and movable toward and away from each otherby adjusting the carriages, a carrier for moving the plate to the cutters, means for continuously driving the cutter shafts at all positions of the carriages and slides, means for simultaneously moving the carriages to adjust the cutters, and means for operating the slides to move the cutters along edge portions of the plate.

16. A machine for trimming plates, including a cutter support, opposed slides movable thereon along substantially parallel. lines, carriages mounted upon the slides and transversely adjustable thereon, cutter shafts journaled upon the carriages, cutters upon the cutter shafts, a carrier for moving the plate to the cutters, gearing for simultaneously moving the carriages to adjust the cutters toward and away from each other, gearing for continuously driving the cutter shafts at all positions of the carriages and slides, racks upon the slides, and gearing engaging the racks for simultaneously operating the slides to move the cutters along edge portions of the plate.

17. A machine for trimming plates, including a cutter support, opposed slides movable thereon along substantially parallel lines, carriages mounted upon the slides and adjustable transversely thereof, cutter shafts journaled upon the carriages, cutters upon the cutter shafts, a carrier for moving the plate to the cutters, gearing for simultaneously moving the carriages in and out to adjust the position df the cutters, gearing for continuously rotating the cutter shafts at all positions of the carriages and slides, racks applied to the slides, and a toothed annulus meshing with the racks for simultaneously moving the slides corresponding amounts in opposite directions.

18. A machine for trimming plates, including a cutter support, opposed slides movable thereon along substantially parallel lines, carriages mounted upon the slides and adjustable transversely thereof, cutter shafts journaled upon the carriages, cutters upon the cutter shafts, a carrier for moving the plate to the cutters, racks upon the carriages, pinions extending parallel to the paths of the respective slides and meshing with the racks, the teeth of the pinions being sufficiently long to remain in mesh with the racks at all positions of the slides, means for actuating the pinions to move the carriages in and out and adjust the position of the cut ters, means for continuously driving the cuttershafts at'all positions of the carriages and slides, and means for actuating the slides to move the cutters along edge portions of the plate.

19. A machine for trimming plates, including a cutter support, opposed slides movable'thereon along parallel lines, carriages mounted upon the slides and adjustable transversely thereof, cutter shafts j ournaled upon the carriages, cutters upon the cutter shafts, racks upon the carriages, pinions extending parallel to the paths of the slides and meshing with the racks, the teeth of the pinions being sufficiently long to remain in mesh with the racks at all positions of the slides, means for actuating the pinions to move the carriages in and out and adjust the position of the cutters, cutter drive shafts extending parallel to the paths of the slides and connected to the cutter shafts by gearing which maintains a driving connection between the shafts at all positions of the slides and carriages, and means for continuously rotating the cutter drive shafts.

20. A machine for trimming plates, including a cutter support, opposed slides movable thereon along substantially parallel lines, carriages mounted upon the slides and adjustable transversely thereof, cutter shafts journaled upon the carriages, cutters upon the cutter shafts, a carrier for moving the plate to the cutters, opposed positioning elements for centering the plate upon the carrier, means controlled by the positioning elements for moving the carriages to obtain a proper adjustment of the cutters, means for continuously rotating the cutters at all positions of the carriages and slides, and means for operating the slides to move the cutters along edge portions of the plate.

21. A machine for trimming plates, in-

cluding a cutter support, opposed slides movable thereon along substantially parallel lines, carriages mounted upon the slides and adjustable transversely thereof, cutters carried by the carriages, means for continuously rotating the cutters at all positions of the carriages and slides, a carrier for moving the plate to the cutters, opposed positioning elements movable toward and away from each other and serving to center the plate upon the carrier, a manually operable adjusting element for moving the carriages to adjust the cutters, and means for gaging the adjustment of the cutters to correspond to the position of the positioning element when the latter are in engagement with the plates.

22. A machine for trimming plates, including a cutter support, opposed slides movable thereon along substantially parallel lines, carriages mounted upon the slides and adjustable transversely thereof, cutters carried by the carriages, means for continuously driving the cutters at all positions of the carriages and slides, a carrier for moving the plate to the cutters, a pair of opposed positioning elements movable in and out for centering the plate upon the carrier, an adjusting shaft operatively connected to the carriages for simultaneously moving them in and out to adjust the position of the cutters, and an operative connection between the positioning elements and the cutter adjusting means for gaging the adjustment of the cutters by the position of the positioning elements when the latter are in engagement with the plate.

28. A machine for trimming plates, including a cutter support, a pair of opposed slides movable thereon along parallel lines,

carriages mounted upon the slides and adustable transversely thereof, cutters carried 

